HIALEAH, FL -- More than 300 attendees got free health screenings, heard physician lectures and gained health information at Palmetto General Hospital's free community Heart Fair, held Feb. 20 to support American Heart Month.
"We are pleased to be able to offer the community free health fairs," said Ana Mederos, CEO of Palmetto General Hospital. "Education is an important part of prevention and the more knowledge we can provide the community, the more empowered they are to make smart decisions as it pertains to their health."
Health screenings included body mass Index, blood pressure and blood sugar. Attendees could hear physicians speak and participate in Question & Answer sessions with physicians, including Dr. Romualdo J. Segurola, FCCP, Medical Director of The Heart Institute at Palmetto General Hospital; Dr. Miguel A. Diaz, Interventional Cardiologist, who spoke on having a Healthy Heart for Life; and Dr. Sofia Vasquez-Solomon, FACE, Endocrinologist, who discussed Diabetes and Heart Risks.
Experts spoke about fitness, diet, eldercare and more. Shape Lovers provided healthy cooking demonstrations. The American Heart Association, which took registrations for the upcoming Heart Walk, provided information on signs and symptoms of stroke. The Florida Department of Health gave out smoking cessation information, and seniors could learn how to deal with emergencies when home alone.
About Palmetto General Hospital
Palmetto General Hospital, part of Tenet's Miami-Dade/Broward Health Network, is a 360-bed acute-care hospital located at 2001 West 68th Street in Hialeah, Florida. The hospital has served the medical and health care needs of Northwest Miami-Dade and Southwest Broward counties for more than 30 years.
Palmetto General Hospital offers a broad range of services, including adult and pediatric emergency rooms, maternity, mental health, cancer center, hyperbaric, wound care, and sleep disorders center, a cardiac program that includes both medical and surgical services, a bariatric program that has been designated a Center of Excellence by the American Society for Bariatric Surgery and a Breast Imaging Center of Excellence as designated by the American College of Radiology..
Palmetto General Hospital is fully accredited by The Joint Commission, the nation's oldest and largest hospital accreditation agency. The hospital is the Best-Rated Hospital in Miami-Dade County for Bariatric Surgery and ranks second in Florida and among the Top 5% in the Nation for Bariatric Surgery for two consecutive years by HealthGrades, a health care quality rankings company.
It has earned a five-star rating and is among the top five percent of hospitals in the nation for maternity care by HealthGrades. The Hospital has also received 2009 American Heart Association Get With the Guidelines (GWTG) Gold Performance Achievement Award, 2009. The American Heart Association/American Stroke Association choose the America's Best Hospitals issue (July 2009) – US News and World Report to recognize the Hospital's Achievements in Get With The Guidelines Programs. Palmetto General Hospital is also one of only 34 hospitals nationwide to earn Solucient's 100 Top Hospitals designation six or more times